Best Buds: Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning professed his love for the beer brand in his post-match interviews. Photo: AP

That's the gist of a Super Bowl 50 that allowed Peyton Manning to, most expect, ride off into the sunset as a champion.

Manning, the most prolific passer in NFL history, is the first quarterback to win Super Bowls with two franchises. He is the first quarterback to post 200 career victories, surpassing freshly minted Hall of Famer Brett Favre. And at 39, he's the oldest quarterback to start in a Super Bowl, too.

Those are the facts. But the reality is that Manning, no longer the dominant force that wrote so many NFL records, looked a lot like a man with one foot into retirement.

The Denver Broncos won this new Lombardi Trophy in spite of Manning, who had what might have been one last tough night at the office.

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Denver's first touchdown in the 24-10 triumph over the Carolina Panthers came from the defence, fittingly, as Von Miller ripped the football out of Cam Newton's hands and Malik Jackson recovered it in the end zone. The other one, a one-yard push by CJ Anderson, was set up after Miller's strip of Newton deep in Carolina Panthers territory in the fourth quarter.

Manning had two turnovers himself, an interception and a fumble. Third downs were quite the challenge. He had a 42.7 passer rating at half-time and a 56.6 mark for the game. The Broncos offence tallied all of 11 first downs.

Those are facts, too.

But you can't knock Manning for winning what many expect was the final game - or "last rodeo", as Manning told New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick following the AFC title game - of his illustrious career.

"It's a gratifying feeling," Manning said. "I definitely know how hard it is to get here. It's a grind to get here. And when you get here, there are no guarantees. Everybody did their part."

Manning did not lose the game, and that can be quite the recipe for winning.

Especially when you are rolling with the NFL's best defence.

Manning, whose difficult season has included a six-week lay-off due to a torn plantar fascia and allegations (which he has strongly denied) linking him to HGH shipments, caught a break for the milestone showdown at Levi's Stadium.

He had the better defence on his side, the Wade Phillips-coordinated, No.1-ranked defence.

Maybe the most fitting image of the night came with about a minute left on the clock, as Manning stood in the middle of the bench area, beaming.

He was standing next to two teammates - defensive stars DeMarcus Ware and Miller, who was named the game's MVP. They were beaming, too.

The NFL quarterbacking torch is being passed from one generation to another as emerging young stars such as Newton and Russell Wilson are poised to become the face of a league that for so long revolved around Manning and Tom Brady.

But for the moment, the old vet Manning - with a lot of help from his friends - got the better of it.

Is he done? For real? Of course, Manning wouldn't reveal what's next in that regard.

During a post-game interview, he told CBS, "I'll take some time to reflect."

When he does, he will realise that it has been one hell of a rodeo ride.